While product testing and product certification are closely related, they are not identical. Each can be used to show that a product meets technical requirements, but they have different roles in the overall conformity process. Understanding the difference between the two can help you plan your certification activities more efficiently.
What is Product Testing?
Product testing involves measuring or evaluating particular features or characteristics of a product using a defined procedure. A test can evaluate things like strength, endurance, electrical properties, temperature tolerance, material properties, safety properties, or any other technical aspects of the product. This testing yields data that can be compared to requirements. For instance, a product may be tested to see if it can handle a given amount of force or perform safely under certain environmental conditions.
What is Product Certification?
Product certification is a conformity process used to establish that a product satisfies certain requirements. Depending on the applicable standard, certification may involve a combination of testing, inspection, technical documentation, and other evaluation processes. These processes consider various types of evidence and do not rely on a single test.
How Product Testing Relates to Product Certification
Product testing can contribute evidence to a certification process. The following flowchart shows a simple relationship:
Requirements → Testing & Evaluation → Evidence Review → Conformity Decision
First, a product is compared to the relevant requirements. Next, appropriate tests are conducted to gather objective evidence. Afterward, this evidence is reviewed along with other technical information, and a conformity decision is reached. Passing a test does not mean that a product is certified.
Why One Test Is Not Enough
There may be several different characteristics to be evaluated for a given product. A single test may show whether a product performs in one particular way, but it may say nothing about other requirements. For instance, a product could pass a strength test without being evaluated for its safety, material properties, dimensions, marking, or other characteristics. Certification takes all the relevant requirements into account.
The Importance of Using the Right Test Method
The accuracy of a test depends, in part, on the selection or design of a test method. A test method should match the characteristic being evaluated and the requirements being verified. Other factors that can affect the accuracy of results include the equipment, the environmental conditions, the measurement methods, and the acceptance criteria. If the wrong test method is used, the resulting data may not accurately show whether the product meets the requirements.
Test Reports and Certification Evidence
Test results typically need to be documented. A test report can contain details such as:
The product or sample being tested
The test method employed
The conditions under which testing was done
The equipment or measurement methods used
The results of the test
Any other relevant information
This information can then be incorporated into the technical documentation that forms the basis of a conformity assessment.
Who Does the Testing?
The entity conducting the testing depends on the certification scheme being followed. Sometimes a manufacturer will conduct certain tests in-house. In other cases, testing must be carried out by an independent or accredited laboratory. The requirements of the certification scheme determine what kinds of testing bodies and test reports are acceptable.
Certification Is More Than a Piece of Paper
Many people associate product certification with receiving a certificate at the conclusion of a process. In truth, product certification involves evaluating whether certain defined requirements have been met. While testing contributes evidence, certification may also involve reviewing documentation, carrying out inspections, establishing production controls, and other activities. Recognizing this distinction can help prevent people from treating certification as merely passing a final test.
How Product Testing and Certification Relate
Product testing and product certification are most appropriately understood as interconnected parts of a wider conformity process. Testing provides quantitative data about the product. Documentation explains the product’s design and properties. Inspections may provide data about manufacturing. Certification draws together the relevant evidence and evaluates it to make a conformity decision. While each component plays a distinct role, they all contribute to the common purpose of demonstrating that the product meets the required specifications.
Conclusion
Product testing asks: How does the product behave when subjected to a particular test or condition? Product certification asks: Based on the available evidence, does the product satisfy the applicable requirements? Knowing the difference between product testing and product certification can help manufacturers plan their certification activities more effectively and understand why product testing is important, but not sufficient, on its own. At CertifyPeak, we help students learn how testing, documentation, standards, and conformity assessment all fit together to form a comprehensive product certification process.
